|
|
|
Blank Page HeadingPay It ForwardAt a worship service early in the Lenten season, the church Missions Committee gave away money to 100 attendees to in worship. Those who took money were invited to put the money to good use in the ministry of Jesus. Below read some of the stories of from those who served in this ministry. Keep in mind, too, that not everyone wrote a story for this page. Lots of other ministry remains anonymous.
I used my Pay It Forward money to buy yarn to make neck scarves for the homeless to be given out next fall. I have already made ten scarves. Linda McFarland I used my Pay It Forward money to buy canned vegetables for Open Door. I received $10.00 in my envelope. After not too much thought I decided to spend it on pillow forms. Then – making pillows to give to three he Youth for their auction. Maybe that could triple or quadruple the money for the Mission Trip. Hope my plan works. Pat Postlethwait I took the money in my envelope and added a little to it. I bought eight small Easter baskets, filled them with four kinds of homemade muffins, and took them to eight “seniors” from our church. The best part, I found, was being invited in to every one of their homes and having great visits with folks I seldom say more than “hi” to in passing. After receiving our “Pay It Forward” contribution from the FUMCVC, my husband and I discussed what we could add to help make a difference to someone in need. I then called a single friend of ours who was laid off from her job last fall and asked her to lunch. During lunch I asked about her job search and if she was doing okay. Although her attitude was positive, she indicated that the only interview she had held promise but she knew several other applicants were being considered. She went on to say that she would not be able to make her house payment this month and would be contacting her lender to notify them but thought it would take several months before she would be evicted. When we left the restaurant, I gave her two envelopes, the one from the Church and mine and asked her to open them when she returned home. In my envelope along with our contribution, I explained our Church’s “Pay It Forward” campaign to lend a helping hand and asked her to do the same when she was able. She called me in tears later to express her appreciation and couldn’t say enough about what a wonderful gesture this campaign by our Church truly was and what a difference it made. She called me a week later to tell me she had been called back for a second interview and had been offered the job. I took my money and went to Anne’s Attic and bought a box of very cute note cards. Then I sent the cards to people on the Homebound list telling them that they were thought of and loved. Mary Jane Stauffer The Sturm Family took their $10.00 from the Pay It Forward envelope and held a Mascara Marathon to raise money for the Kansas Humane Society. From that $10.00, we were able to raise and donate $180.00 to the KHS. I bought a new pair of shoes for a child with my Pay It Forward money. When I got to the door to receive an envelope,
they were all gone.
That
was no problem.
I would
like to share with you the person I am giving a love gift.
She is a long time friend of ours.
She has been our children leader on many of the Lay Witness
Missions we have coordinated throughout the years.
She is Butterfly, doing clown ministry.
Butterfly and her bunny rabbits live in and travel the year
round in a small Winnebago travel home.
To let you know her travel for the month of February 2009
were as follows:
Wyandotte, OK; Joplin, MO; Hurricane, WV; South Boston, VA; to name
a few, some of the ministry was in churches and camp grounds.
Many times at Sunday School classes for children and she will
be in many Vacation Bible Schools this summer.
A number of her trips are in to We spent the money, plus some we added in, buying a Wal-Mart gift card for some friends. They are just struggling right now to pay bills and buy groceries so we helped them get through a week. We shared our Pay It Forward love gift with a
young family who has had to travel many times from Western Kansas to
Pay It Forward – what a great idea. It was done for me 48 years ago by dear friends – after a divorce, a move back to Valley Center with a new job and the possibility of a perfect home near the schools for my young sons, friends in my old church simply sent me the down payment with the words “This is NOT a loan – some time in the future, when the possibility exists for you, help out, in love and with no strings attached.” The ones I felt led to are a young couple with a precious new baby. There were some complications at birth followed by major complications with their insurance company and I realized that money could become a major concern. I was moved to match the amount in my envelope each time I received check or money for any reason. I was blessed to have checks from Social Security, a retirement plan, two part time jobs, and other odd jobs along the way. GOD IS GOOD! I gave money to a family who used it to buy food. They touched my heart by saying “God be with you”. We spent an afternoon and had a weenie roast for some kids who have been having a difficult time. I would like to donate this money for the Church College Scholarship Fund. We have appreciated the scholarships our family has received. We gathered up loose change around the house to multiply this gift – we were able to add $20.00. Thank you so much. The Parade magazine had an article recently
that caught my eye immediately.
The name of it was The Simple Tool that Saves Women’s Lives
by Dr. Ranit Mishori. A
cardboard box is saving the lives of thousands of people in We would like to thank the Church for our new
Easter outfits! We love them and even got our picture taken in them.
Also like to thank Mr. & Mrs. Bill page for the gift! Be blessed.
*********** Ed and I received $20 in our envelope from the
church. I baked St. ********** I had been praying about my Pay It Forward
money. Today I was at the YMCA getting ready for work, when I
overheard several teachers talking. A teacher at NW high
school was telling about one of her students that just had a baby
girl over the weekend. She has had no prenatal care and seems
to be pretty much on her own. She is very concerned about the student, she is
in Special Education classes – she does not read and the teacher
wanted to help her so she could at least fill out job applications.
Another teacher was telling her about Hooked on Phonics and the
teacher from NW was going to purchase this for the student. With all the challenges facing this student,
she may not realize that God has given her a blessing by put a
special teacher in her life. The teacher is going the extra
mile and trying to make a difference her students’ life.
She is helping her get set up on WIC and any other program
available. I told the teacher that I had a gift for her.
She was stunned. I added some money to my envelope and told
her about Pay It Forward. She was thrilled, excited, teary
eyed, and very grateful. I explained that this was a Lenten
project at Valley Center FUMC. ********** I am a recipient of Pay It Forward.
|
|
|
Pay It Forward
Letters from the Pay It Forward Program
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
